RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that a Federal Grand
Jury returned a Criminal Indictment charging two brothers, JUAN ANTONIO LOPEZ
PONCE and JOSE ALFREDO LOPEZ PONCE, who operate J&A Framers
Carpentry, Inc., on one count of conspiring to bring in and harbor
illegal aliens, in violation of Title 8, United States Code,
Sections 1324(a)(1)(A)(i) and 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) and Title 18,
United States Code, Code 371; one count of bringing in illegal
aliens, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section
1324(a)(1)(A)(i); one count of harboring illegal aliens for
commercial advantage, in violation of Title 8, United States Code,
Sections 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii); and one count of engaging in a pattern
and practice of hiring and recruiting unauthorized aliens, in
violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324a(a)(1)(A)
and (f)(1).

As alleged in the indictment, the LOPEZ brothers, in order to
ensure a ready source of illegal aliens to satisfy J&A’s labor
needs, assisted in paying “coyote” organizations to smuggle aliens
into the United States. J&A reduced their overhead by evading the
payment of payroll taxes and by paying the illegal workers at rates
lower than the minimum wage. They further profited by collecting
rent from the illegal workers for the spartan accommodations
provided to them. The LOPEZ brothers came to the United States
illegally in the 1980s, but have since married U.S. citizens and
become naturalized.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Internal
Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations Division and the United
States Immigration and Custom Enforcement - Homeland Security
Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Dennis Duffy and
John Stuart Bruce represented the government.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at
www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.

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